Russian website championat.ru is reporting a rumor sourced to Sport-Express that goaltender Vasily Koshechkin may possibly play next season for KHL club Mytischi. Koshechkin split last season between Togliatti and Magnitogorsk of the KHL and was reportedly an option to be signed by the Lightning this summer if ex-GM Brian Lawton had remained in Tampa Bay. Mytischi added Lightning prospect Denis Kazionov to its roster earlier this offseason and recently re-signed former Lightning draft pick Alexei Glukhov.

Although it's certainly possible the Lightning could spend their sixth overall pick on a goaltender, the prevailing wisdom is that the team will concentrate on the skating positions where the needs are much greater. On defense, where the club drafted potential star Victor Hedman a year ago, there remains work to be done to build up depth in the system. Just a year ago, the team looked like it was in fairly strong shape along the blueline. A rash of injuries in the 2008-2009 season forced several young blueliners to make their NHL debuts or assume expanded NHL roles and they performed well enough that the future appeared to be bright. That confidence in the long term health of the blueline was further bolstered by the expectation that young NHLers Andrej Meszaros and Paul Ranger would return from injuries and that would allow Hedman to work into the lineup at his own pace.

But last year was an abysmal season for the young blueline corps of the Tampa Bay Lightning that left the organization's confidence in its defense's future bruised. Paul Ranger left the team for still undisclosed reasons and it remains to be seen if he'll ever return and Andrej Meszaros looked like a shadow of the player who seemed to be catching on in December of the 2008-2009 season. Because of the void left by Ranger's vacant twenty minutes of ice time a night, Hedman was forced to play around twenty five minutes a night early in the season, and by the second half hit the rookie wall, causing an erosion in his decision-making and confidence. Matt Smaby, who looked like a world beater despite playing on a broken foot in the second half of the 2008-2009 season, seemed out of condition and played like he was a minor league defenseman again in 2009-2010. Down on the farm, Matt Lashoff reverted to the form that led the Boston Bruins to give up on him, Ty Wishart struggled in his own end, Vladimir Mihalik continued to develop only at a glacial rate, and Kevin Quick showed up to training camp out of shape and later in the year broke his foot. Outside of the emergence of Mike Lundin in Tampa Bay and the solid play of Scott Jackson in Norfolk, there were not a lot of successes on defense for the Lightning last year.

Ashton just completed his third full Western Hockey League season, scoring 24 goals and 27 assists for 51 points in 65 games split between Lethbridge and Regina. He also played 11 games as an amateur tryout player for AHL Norfolk, scoring once.

The young power forward, taken 29th overall at the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, was not invited to either the summer development or December selection camp last year for Canada, who won Silver at the 2010 WJCs. Hockey Canada holds their official tryout camp in December.

The summer development camp will be held in early August in St. John's, Newfoundland.

Ashton will return to Regina of the WHL this coming season if he does not secure a spot with the Lightning.

Tonight BoltProspects is starting a new series in anticipation of the Lightning selecting 6th overall at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft entitled 11 for 6. We will be previewing the eleven draft prospects we feel are most likely to be under consideration by the Lightning scouting staff at the sixth overall pick. Tonight we start with a goaltender, Jack Campbell of the US National Team Development Program.

Goaltending is, without question, the Lightning's deepest position in terms of youth and prospects despite the fact it's the club's most dire need at the NHL level. BoltProspects' top prospect, Dustin Tokarski, entered his rookie professional season with a reputation as one of the best big game netminders in all of junior hockey, and he did little to lose that reputation in backstopping Norfolk to its first winning record as a Tampa Bay affiliate. Despite playing behind an inexperienced defensive corps, Tokarski posted a solid .915 save percentage and 4 shutouts and he looks the part of a future number one starter in the NHL. Along with Tokarski, the Lightning have a pair of goaltenders in Europe who could also be NHL starters in the very near future in BoltProspects alumnus Karri Ramo and overage prospect Vasily Koshechkin, who has been one of the best goaltenders in Russia for the past half decade. Behind those three, the Lightning have yet another exciting prospect in Jaroslav Janus, who was the darling of the U20 World Junior Championships for Slovakia two years ago and played so well for Erie of the OHL last year that he earned a pro contract and a spot with Norfolk of the AHL at midseason. Rounding out the group of potential NHLers is former first round pick Riku Helenius, who rebounded after being pushed out of North America by an ascendant Janus to play well for Elitserien side Sodertalje in Sweden at the tail end of the year. Helenius will get plenty of starts for Sodertalje next season in a high quality league. Along with a new GM offering a fresh perspective and a clean slate, that might be the thing he needs to get back into the Lightning's plans.

With the 2009-2010 NHL season completed and the Chicago Blackhawks crowned as Stanley Cup champions, and the passing of the annual deadline to sign draft prospects, BoltProspects is pleased to release its 2009-2010 Final Rankings for the season. The release of the Final Rankings will precede a daily series we are going to be running up to draft day titled 11 for 6. 11 for 6 will examine the top 11 prospects we at BoltProspects feel fans should be aware of as the Lightning prepare to pick 6th overall at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

(Tampa Bay Lightning press release) The Tampa Bay Lightning have agreed to terms with Guy Boucher (pronounced GEE boo-SHAY) today to become the seventh head coach in the organization's history, Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman announced today. Boucher joins the Lightning after coaching the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League to 52 wins and 115 points in the 2009-10 regular season.

â€œWe are thrilled that Guy has elected to further his coaching career with the Tampa Bay Lightning,â€ Yzerman said in making the announcement. â€œHe is one of the best young coaches in the game today and I believe he is the perfect selection for our team as we look to create a winning environment and re-establish the Lightning in the National Hockey League.â€

Sources told TSN that the deal with Boucher is believed to be for four years and will be finalized on Tuesday morning. A formal announcement by the Lightning is expected by Wednesday, if not sooner. Reports also indicate that Boucher will bring his Hamilton staff with him to Tampa Bay.

Boucher led his team to the conference finals in the AHL this season, where Hamilton lost in seven games to Texas. The Bulldogs finished the regular season third in goals for and first in fewest goals against in the AHL. The Montreal Canadiens farm club finished first in the Western Conference and Boucher won Coach of the Year.

Boucher, who led the Drummondville Voltigeurs to the QMJHL championship and Memorial Cup finals two years ago, will be the youngest head coach in the NHL next season at 38. His Volts teams in the Q were known for their offense, highly-successful power play, and attention to detail.

Rumors have been swirling all week that Montreal first round draft pick Louis Leblanc may have already decided to leave Harvard University after one season with the Crimson. Montreal writer Pat Hickey penned a story for the Montreal Gazette on Wednesday claiming the speedy forward might be weighing whether to go to the QMJHL or sign with the Canadiens and play in the AHL for Hamilton. Compounding the intrigue was that Leblanc, whose junior rights were held by Chicoutimi, apparently had a preference to play for the Montreal Juniors in the QMJHL so he could also attend classes at McGill University to continue his education.

Today, at the tail end of the QMJHL Midget Draft, Chicoutimi traded Leblanc's rights to the Montreal Juniors, along with a 3rd round pick, for Guillaume Asselin and a 2011 first round pick. That will only serve to intensify speculation that Leblanc may leave Harvard. If Leblanc leaves, he will add to a list of players not returning to the Crimson that already included graduating seniors Doug Rogers, Chad Morin, Alex Biega, Jack Christian, and Ian Tallett. While only Rogers, Morin, and Biega were serious contributors to Harvard last season, it's important to bear in mind the club has only won 9 games each of the past two seasons. Losing those players and their leading scorer, Leblanc, may be a death sentence for Ted Donato's club next season.

All that begs the question: what about Alex Killorn? Killorn, a 2007 3rd round pick of the Lightning, has been routinely singled out over the past couple of seasons as being one of the team's best young talents in prospect camps but has failed to garner much publicity playing for a sinking Harvard club. If Leblanc leaves, can the Lightning allow one of their ten best prospects to languish through another potential single-digits win season at Harvard? Would it be better for his development to sign Killorn and have him begin his pro career with Norfolk of the AHL? Expect new GM Steve Yzerman to seriously contemplate that option if Killorn impresses him as much at this summer's prospect camp as he has other Hockey Operations people with the Lightning in previous camps.

If Killorn were to be signed, he'd join fellow signees Johan Harju and Mark Barberio from an already strong class of incoming pros. The team could also still sign 2009 2nd round pick Richard Panik, who just completed his first World Championships appearance for Slovakia.

According to a Twitter report from Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune, the Tampa Bay Lightning have signed prospect defenseman Mark Barberio to an entry level contract. Details of the contract are not yet know, but the Lightning had until Tuesday, June 1 to ink the blueliner or he would have been eligible to return to this summer's NHL entry draft. The Lightning are under the same deadline to sign prospect forward Kyle DeCoste or lose him to the draft as well. Both players were drafted in the 2008 NHL Entry draft -- a draft class that includes forwards Steven Stamkos and James Wright, and goaltender Dustin Tokarski.

Barberio led his Moncton Wildcats to a berth in the 2010 Memorial Cup tournament as the QMJHL champion. Barberio scored 17 goals and added 43 assists in 65 regular season games for the Wildcats.